A new U3A beach cleaning group will be starting up in October. Guernsey has some of the cleanest litter-free beaches in the world, and we should be very proud of them. This does not happen accidentally however: various groups and individuals organise beach cleans around the island to help keep it this way. 

This new U3A group will take part in beach cleaning in association with the Guernsey Clean Earth Trust (“CET”). The primary goal of this group will be to pick up litter from the shore and strand line, but they will also be a social affair. People often go along in 2s and 3s, catching up and chatting. You might already do this with your friends on a beach, but these events have the added activity of picking up any litter you see.  Buckets, litter pickers and gloves will be provided. The events will be monthly. The timing of events will depend on tides, and the locations will be at different beaches each time. If the weather is likely to be extreme, events may have to be re-scheduled. 

Each event will take place in two stages: a beach clean followed by a survey of what has been found, and the completion, by me, of a CET survey form allocating the waste into various categories. In this way the events will form part of a citizen science project to monitor and report on marine litter found on our shores in the form of the CET annual marine litter reports which can provide data on what is being discarded on the beaches, and  present this to any lawmakers who become interested. When you are done with your 'womble' along the beach we will reconvene to sort and analyse what has been picked up. 

Please let me know via the email link if you would like to join this group and I will send you a list of dates and beaches.